Madrid

A quick jaunt over to Madrid this weekend — thanks to Easyjet cheap flights out of Edinburgh.

We stayed nearby Opera in a small AirBnb studio, on a backstreet in the older part of town. The cathedral was modern, full of vibrant colours, the adjacent Royal Palace impressive. The city was grander than Seville and Barcelona: larger plazas and fewer winding backstreets in our area. The parks were lovely, with interesting attractions like the Templo De Deboro, and views to the mountains in the distance.

The food was great — check out the Mercado de San Miguel for food stalls, tapas and drinks in the mid-evening. Museo del Jamon was good for a quick daytime ham and cheese sandwich with a cheap beer to wash it down.

I love to run in every new place I visit. An 8km route at the edge of the Casa de Campo was well worth it for the views and the fresh winter sunshine. The park is huge, I would have loved to have had more time to explore and run the rest. There is a cable car that can get you up to the top of the hill if you don’t fancy the run — and a lake near the entrance where you can grab refreshments. Looking forward to returning to Spain in the (hopefully) not-to-distant future!